China hands out more to Xinjiang low-income residents

URUMQI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will again raise monthly subsidies for low-income residents, the ninth such move since 2005 to ensure a minimum standard of living in the region.

Starting from June 1, the monthly subsidies for urban low-income residents will be increased by 30 yuan (4.4 U.S. dollars) to 185 yuan per person, benefiting 645,000 people, said Mo Juan, Party chief of the regional Department of Civil Affairs, at a news conference Monday.

Meanwhile, about 1.3 million rural low-income residents will each have their monthly subsides lifted from 65 yuan to 75 yuan, Mo said.

In Xinjiang, for a person to be eligible for the subsidy their income must be below 138 yuan a month in urban areas and below 700 yuan a year in rural areas.

Xinjiang is a region inhabited by various ethnic groups, including Han, Uygur, Kazak, Hui and others. The region has a total population of 21 million.

China aims to boost economic development and improve the people's livelihoods in Xinjiang, which was hit by a deadly riot July last year.

Authorities in Xinjiang announced Sunday that the minimum monthly wage in the region's cities and counties would be increased by 24.6 percent on average.

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